Turning Point||Book 2

1: Xenia.

Lights! Camera! Action!

Everything was in place. Good lighting in Club Nova, April's phone camera, and then the tequila shot I was holding in my pinch-grip, poised to drink it and feel the slight sting in my throat. There was a lime sitting next to the shot glasses.

The content was all set to hit instagram. The best part of my night was doing something impressive and then waiting for criticism or approbation from April's followers, who scrutinized her posts as if their entire day depended on them.

"I got you, Sky," she said with a wink, her voice blending with the loud music that would surely give me as much headache as the hangover would give me by tomorrow morning.

April's voice typically had a smooth and comforting quality, but on this occasion, it had a persuasive tone that was too insistent, I almost didn't like the sound of it.

Club Nova was the best in Sicily as she and Caleb had said the moment I moved into the complex and literally had to listen to thirty long minutes of exciting facts about our neighborhood. It was my first night here and I was finding immense pleasure in the experience.

I'd never have thought, but snails get out of their shells, why couldn't I?

"Go!"

At the call of Caleb's voice, I shot the tequila to the back of my throat, took part in the biting taste and tried to simmer it with the aftertaste of lime. It was still horrible, but I knew the feeling of being high would override the taste of raw alcohol in a matter of minutes.

April's camera flash went off, so I knew the show was over. The bad-girl facade was over. And so was my doubt.

"How'd I do?" I asked, eyeing the lacy part of her pink top, then I glanced around the crowded space.

Hands moving across the screen of her phone, lips boring a wide, engaging smile, April nodded. "Absolutely great. Or what do you think, babe?" She passed the phone to Caleb for a second opinion, while I sat and waited as a contestant in X-Factor would wait for Simone's approval.

The red and blue lights in the club were great, but the intermittent appearance of golden flashes was unusual and caught my attention. The DJ's energy matched the vibrancy of her music selection. Socialites called my attention as they were having a great time, and I was tempted to join them on the dance floor and let myself go.

There was a lot to celebrate. I might not have been able to list all the reasons, but I could definitely share the most important ones; firstly, it had been more than two quiet months in Sicily, away from him, without him. Secondly, I'd gotten an email from an editor in a big book publishing company in regards to Snapping Point. Thirdly, why fucking not?

"If you continue on this path, you might end up becoming a media personality instead of achieving your goal of becoming a successful author." Caleb shifted in his seat and picked up his phone, leaving a small room for me to be suspicious of his statement. It seemed like a compliment, but my defensive brain had started to overthink it. "I'll be the first to drop a like." A smiled trailed. "Babe, thanks for forcing her out of bed tonight. She deserves to have some fun."

Caleb was of standard. Long dark, curly hair, big brown eyes, pretty round cheeks, a fair height — he had it all. April was a great match for him, as she had an equally impressive physique and a sincere smile.

Asides that their relationship gave me as much hope as every romance story did, I believed that they were meant to be together, considering they'd been dating since high school.

Just by looking at them, anyone knew they couldn't seem to get enough of each other. Where April was an influencer, Caleb managed her properly along with his big career as a photographer. I personally wasn't a fan of dating a younger guy, but it was working for April, it had been for years. Caleb was a year younger than twenty eight, but he was so mature you wouldn't know until you were told.